


Night Terrors

by Aiden_Ravelle, AnkhsAngel



Category: Kamen Rider Ex-Aid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:14:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26806447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aiden_Ravelle/pseuds/Aiden_Ravelle, https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnkhsAngel/pseuds/AnkhsAngel
Kudos: 6





	Night Terrors

Co-written by Amy L./AnkhsAngel

Parad could hear the lap of the waves even through the hood over his head and the engine of the vehicle. His breathing sped up and he tried to get free of the cables once again, ignoring the extreme pain and weakness it caused. He wouldn’t let them throw him in.. Where was Emu? He couldn’t remember…

A punch to the sternum made him cough, bending double as he was dragged out of the vehicle. The bugster dug his heels into what felt like sand, stopping his movement. “Release me or my friends are going to be really angry!”

A man’s laugh came off to his right. “Friends? You mean those Riders? They’re all dead.”

Parad froze for a moment, then shook his head. “You’re lying..”

“I cut that young one in half..I watched the light in his eyes die. No one is coming for you.”

Parad was shoved forward, his panic increasing as his feet slipped off what felt like a cliff. He recoiled and the man yanked him back. The bugster closed his eyes as tears began streaking his face. Suddenly he was pushed forward and he released a scream as he fell through the air.

The cold of the ocean hit him like a sledgehammer. He began to shiver and cough as salt water seeped through the hood and down his throat. He tried to push himself onto shore, but the current and his clothing were dragging him under. 

The hood was drenched now, clinging to his nose and mouth. He tried to inhale and got water instead of air. He fought to get his head above the waves, but the cables began to shock him repeatedly. After a few moments, the pain was too much and he sighed sadly. ‘Sorry, Emu…”

The darkness enveloped him as he went limp.

Emu jumped into the water, his movements slow as pain filled him. He shivered but focused on getting to his bugster. He grabbed onto Parad finally, pulling him up to the shore before collapsing. Blood and water pooled around him before he too lost consciousness.

“EMU!” Parad shot upright, his eyes darting around CR. He gasped as pain shot through his chest, then coughed harshly.

Emu weakly looked up from his own bed, “Parad?”

“You’re alive..thank god.” He rubbed his chest as the coughing subsided. “They said they had killed you. Killed all of you.”

“Can’t be killed that easily,” Emu gave him a small smile before wincing.

“I’m sorry..I didn’t protect you.” Parad dropped his eyes as his hands clutched the blanket. “Useless…”

“You were hurt. It’s not like you could have done anything. I don’t blame you.”

The bugster shook his head. “If I had merged, you wouldn’t have been injured. It’s my fault..” He vanished in a bright flash of pixels.

Emu tried to push himself up to go look but didn’t have the strength. He focused on their bond  _ “Parad, please come back. Nothing is your fault.” _

Parad heard his host’s words and shook his head. He stood on the cliff edge, gazing down at the water. All he did was hold Emu back, causing problems. He wouldn’t even exist if Emu hadn’t unconsciously absorbed him after Gemdeus’ defeat.. It was better if he didn’t. 

As he stared at the waves crashing, a horrifying feeling of drowning overwhelmed him. He felt the water filling his lungs, the taste of salt on his tongue..the darkness on the edge of his vision.. He screamed, falling to his knees and holding his throat.

After a few minutes, arms wrapped around him gently.

He flinched as his mind spun.

“Everything is alright,” a soft voice spoke.

“Nothing is  _ alright _ !” Parad’s voice trembled. “I cause problems Emu  _ doesn’t need! _ I shouldn’t be here at all..” He tried to get free of the arms. “Let me go!”

“You’re right. You shouldn’t. You were supposed to die.” A gun cocked behind them.

The one hugging him stood slowly, “Parad, we need to get back to Emu. Now.”

Parad glanced back and growled. He pushed himself up and faced the gunman. “I won’t let you hurt anyone else. Especially not Emu.” He looked at Poppy. “You need to warn them. Go!”

She sighed and vanished. 

“Are you anti CR or just anti bugster?” Parad didn’t take his eyes off the gun, aware that he was in a precarious position. The sea to his back, a gun at his front. Would he be shot if he tried to teleport? Or once more forced into the water?

“Both,” a man said. “First it’ll be you, then one by one taking out every one of those doctors.”

Parad fought the building rage. “I won’t let you..” 

The man raised an eyebrow, “You think you can stop us?”

“I can stop  **you** .” In a flash, Parad was grabbing him, dragging him over the cliff.

The man tried to fight but was soon falling.

Parad struggled for the gun, praying he could get it away so he could teleport before they hit the water.

The gun repeatedly fired at Parad, hitting him from just inches away before they hit the water.

The water cut off his cry, rushing down his throat as he recoiled from the impact. His vision greyed out for a moment, then he burst to the surface choking. He put his hand to his stomach, squinting at the blood on his fingers. Then the pain hit and he screamed, flailing violently as he went under again.

Soon, a figure approached in the water, trying to pull him to the shore.

His vision was clouded by pain and terror, and he couldn’t make out his rescuer. “Pro..tect Emu..” He managed to say before the darkness swept him away.

Once back at the hospital, Emu insisted on absorbing Parad, working on healing his wounds. 

“You can’t heal yourself if you’re healing him.” Taiga said disapprovingly. He left the feeling that nothing Emu did would help unspoken.

Emu closed his eyes for a minute, “I have to try to help him.”

Taiga grimaced, walking out as Poppy stared down at her dress in silence.

Emu sighed before trying to adjust. He focused all his energy into healing Parad, not caring if it meant he’d be hurt longer.

_ “Emu..? Stop..” _

_ “No.” _

_ “You’re in danger. He..wasn’t alone. You have to hide. Unmerge and get safe.. _ **_Please_ ** _ , Emu. I have to..know you’re safe before I…” _ Parad cried out at the pain of the multiple bullet wounds.

“ _ I’m going to help you and protect you.” _

_ “Emu.. I’m sorry for everything. Especially this..”  _ With a choked cry, Parad forcibly unmerged. He shook violently, blood pulsing over his clenched hands. He looked at Emu, then whirled and staggered out of the hospital as the attacker’s van entered the parking lot. He grimaced as he produced his driver and gashat.

Emu was soon behind him, injecting him with something.

“Emu? Wha--?”

Emu shook his head and dragged the bugster back into where Poppy was waiting before heading out and henshining to fight off the attackers.

“You can’t stop us, so die with dignity!” One attacker yelled as he swung a sword at the doctor. He cried out and fell, a bullet hole smoking in his jacket.

“That’s my line, baka.” Taiga sneered.

Emu struggled to fight the other attackers, taking more hits than he normally would, being slowed down by his injuries. 

Taiga suddenly went down, an large explosion occurring at his feet.

Hiiro came outside and henshined. He quickly took down the attackers before taking Emu and Taiga inside.

“I’m fine..” The sniper grumbled, one hand clasped tightly to his side.

Hiiro rolled his eyes and began helping bandage the other doctor as Poppy helped Emu.

Parad had been stitched up and was attached to a transfusion. He began to moan, tossing his head from side to side. Then the oxygen monitor started beeping as the bugster clawed at his throat in terror. “Can’t...breathe!”

Poppy and Emu quickly went to his side and began checking him over.

“Shh, Parad, everything is alright,” Emu said softly. “It’s just a panic attack. Focus and take slow deep breaths.”

The bugster’s eyes opened, hazy and unfocused. “It hurts...the water..burns my throat. I’m drowning! EMU!! It’s dark!” His hands flailed as he thrashed. “Where are you Emu?!”

“I’m right here, okay? Everything is alright. You’re safe.”

“Not..safe. Emu is never safe with me…” Parad slumped to the bed in despair. “I should have let go..”

Poppy watched in shock as Emu growled and slapped the other bugster. 

“You shut up, Parad! You belong here!”

Parad blinked in stunned disbelief, his eyes locked on his host. Without a word, he yanked the IV out and vanished.

Poppy went to go find him.

He stood on the roof, his eyes fixed on the skyline. His posture was one of dejected acceptance.

“Emu won’t stop crying.. he feels bad he slapped you and says he’s not a good host because you think you should leave him..” The dance bugster said sadly.

“Not a good host? He needs therapy. He’s too good of a host.” Parad rolled his eyes without turning.

“He cares about you. You make him happy.”

“Why? How do I make him happy?” Self loathing seeped into the words.

“You have to talk to him about that. But you make all of us happy. You give me someone to play with.”

“I’m a  _ monster _ , Poppy! I kill people! I’m no different from those who attacked us today..except for one thing.”

“You know what you did was wrong. You’ve changed. We all see that but you.”

Parad chuckled darkly. “Why does everyone keep saying that? Just because I smile and behave?” He looked at the dancing Bugster, his eyes cold. “We’re not human. We were programmed to do things. Maybe I was just programmed to be nice now..”

Poppy sighed, “We might have been programmed, but not everything is in our programming.. We can make choices just like humans.”

He thought about her statement for a minute.“Then this is my choice.” He disappeared in a swirl of pixels.

She shook her head and went to go back to Emu.

Parad sat on the beach, staring at the ocean. The water was terrifyingly dark and he wondered if there were monsters in the depths. There was a bottomless trench, he remembered reading somewhere. Would someone just fall forever?

Emu searched for Parad for hours, checking his usual locations with no success. He was beginning to lose hope and began panicking that he’d never find his friend. 

Parad felt the bond burst into anxiety and fear, but couldn’t muster the ability to care. He briefly unblocked it to send a mental push to his host.  _ “Go home, Emu.” _

Emu ignored it and continued searching for several more hours. He finally found himself back in his neighborhood and decided to get some sleep. He ended up crying himself out. 

Parad flinched as he opened the bond. He sat and internally raged at the doctor as he slept. “Why can’t you just stop caring? Why do you want me? Are you that lonely still?”

As if hearing him, Emu’s mind began focusing on Parad again, having nightmares that he’d lost the bugster forever.

_ Parad disintegrating again, but this time Emu wasn’t fast enough and didn’t absorb him. _

_ Parad jumping from the cliff, disappearing into the crashing waves, never to reappear. _

_ Parad bleeding out in Emu’s arms, then dissolving into pixels that exploded. _

Parad winced, huddling with his arms wrapped around his legs. He tried to reassure Emu through the bond, but his own despair kept filtering through. He screamed angrily, throwing sand into the water.

Come morning, Emu woke and began searching again. 

Parad could feel Emu’s desperation, sighing as he opened the bond. “Emu, you’re going to be late for rounds.”

“You’re more important.”

The Bugster rolled his eyes. “Emu..just give up, will you? You don’t need me anymore.”

“I still need you. But if you really don’t want to come back, I understand. I’m sorry I can’t make you happy enough..” He heard quietly.

“BAKA! I’m the one who can’t make you happy…” Parad’s voice was teary and dejected. “You should have left me in the water..”

“You always make me happy, Parad. But I can’t seem to convince you of that..” Emu sighed. “You deserve to live.”

“I’m not human. I killed people. Almost got you killed just a few days ago! Why does everyone care?”

“It doesn’t matter if you’re not human. And you might have had a rocky past, but that isn’t all of who you are.”

“I’m sorry, Emu..” The words were starting to slur, the bond’s connection becoming staticy.

“Parad? Where are you?”

“Cave..at the beach. Near the pier.. Tired..”

“I’ll be right there, okay?” Emu rushed for his friend’s location.

The Bugster was curled on his side, his clothes damp and bloody. He was pale and unresponsive, his breathing shaky.

After trying to wake him a few minutes, Emu decided to absorb Parad to try to heal him. 

“E-Emu?” Parad’s weak voice sounded in his head.

“Hey, everything will be okay. Just rest.”

“So cold...and everything hurts.” Parad sounded defeated and small.

  
“Don’t worry, you’ll feel better soon.”

“Okay…” Parad went quiet.

Emu headed to the hospital to start his rounds as he worked on healing Parad.

After several hours, Parad woke with a scream. He shook in terror, his mind replaying his nightmare. 

_ Emu being sliced in two, his eyes staring accusingly into his as the doctor’s torso fell away from his legs. “This is your fault..shouldn’t have ever saved you..” _

“EMU!!! I’m sorry! Please!!!” He huddled in a spot in Emu’s mind, his voice raw. He was too panicked to unmerge, just continuing to scream until he was exhausted.

Emu tried to get Parad’s attention, “Hey, everything is alright. Just calm down, you had a nightmare.”

“He’s dead! Dead..because of me..I get people killed!!!” Parad’s eyes were unseeing, his hands shaking violently. “It should be me!”

“Parad... everything is okay. No one is dead.”

“Liar! I saw it! They cut him in half! And it’s my fault! He said so!!” Parad pushed Emu back, trying to stand and teleport away. He cried out as the movement strained his few surviving stitches. 

“Parad! Look at me! Please..” Emu begged, “Everything is okay.”

Slowly the Bugster raised his head, his eyes fixating on Emu. “Are you going to push me in the water again? For getting you killed?”

“I’m alive, Parad. And even if I wasn’t, I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“Alive..? But I saw.. You said it was my fault..”

“It was a nightmare. It wasn’t real.”

“You were hurt..I don’t deserve to be here.” Parad pushed himself up, holding his torso with tight lips. “You don’t need to be Ex-Aid anymore anyway, with all the vaccines now.”

“You deserve to be here. You’re important to me. I don’t care about Ex-aid, but I care about you. I want you to stay.”

Parad hung his head. “You’re going to keep getting hurt.”

“I don’t care. You’re more important.”

Parad stumbled forward, his strength waning. “Don’t leave me..”

“I’ll never leave you, okay?”

“Feel..floaty. Like when you went to the dentist..” Parad’s lips quirked upwards.

Emu chuckled slightly, “Just get some rest. Everything will be alright.”

Parad shook his head. “I’m going to see Graphite..” He showed Emu his bloodstained hands. “But it’s okay..”

“Don’t you leave me.” Emu said quickly. He forced his own energy into healing Parad faster.

“I want to play perfect puzzle. Will you play with me?”

“Of course.”

Parad gave him a weak grin, then winced. His eyes began to close quickly. “Emu..”

Emu wrapped his arms around him and continued to try to heal him.

“I feel so weak..like when Cronus attacked me. I don’t want to sleep..”

“I know, I’m trying to help you, okay? Just stay with me.”

Parad slowly nodded, forcing his eyes open. He clung to Emu tight. “We should separate. I’m only weakening you too.”

Emu shook his head, “No. I’m going to keep helping you, no matter what.”

“If both of us die..” Parad shook his head sharply. “No, I won’t let that happen!” He tore himself free and unmerged, falling to his knees onto CR’s floor.

Emu quickly knelt down and began treating Parad, wrapping and restitching his wounds. After a few minutes, he lifted the bugster and carried him to a bed, hooking him up to a transfusion.

Kiriya scowled at the Bugster’s vitals. “He’s not doing well, Ace. What the hell happened after he ran off?”

Emu just shook his head in response and watched his bugster carefully.

Parad suddenly tensed, his hands going to his throat as he coughed as if choking. He thrashed and kicked the mattress. 

Kiriya cursed, grabbing at the young man’s legs. “Ace! Get him calm!”

Emu watched a moment before getting close to Parad and whispering, “You’re safe, Parad. Everyone is okay. You’re alright. You’re safe in CR.”

“Drowning...Help me, Emu! The water is coming through the hood! Emu..” Parad’s movements began slowing.

“You’re safe in CR. There’s no water here,” Emu assured. “Just open your eyes and look at me. Everything is alright.”

The Bugster’s eyes fluttered open, locking on Emu’s face. “I was so scared..and they said you were dead..”

“I’m alright and you’re alright too. I’m sorry you were scared, but you know I’m here to protect you as best as possible.”

“I’m sorry for that.” Parad relaxed into the mattress as Kiriya gave a relieved sigh and left.

“I’m always here for you, Parad. I care about you and I hope I can always show you that.”

Parad gave him a small smile before yawning.

“Get some rest. I’ll be here when you wake.”

Parad gave a soft chuckle as his eyes slid closed.


End file.
